Put on your comfiest “inside clothes” and get ready for a marathon of the K-drama kind
Typically, traditional K-dramas span 16 to 20 episodes with each episode running over an hour. If you’re lucky (or rather, unlucky, depending on your attention span and how much time you have on your hands), most K-dramas conclude with a single season.
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However, with K-dramas gaining more international popularity, the South Korean entertainment landscape has dramatically evolved. Some titles have been awarded more than one season, keeping viewers hooked on K-dramas with multiple seasons such as The Penthouse, Love Alarm, Alchemy of Souls, Kingdom, Voice, Hospital Playlist, Squid Game, and more.
But not everyone has the luxury to sit through them. Whether you’re a working professional who’s strapped for time or a student looking to squeeze a dose of K-entertainment between studies, here are some compact series that pack all the emotional depth, compelling storytelling, and production value of their longer counterparts into a more digestible format.
1. ‘Moving’ (10 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘Moving’
Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun, Ryoo Seung-bum, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Jung-ha, Go Youn-jung, Kim Do-hoon.
Synopsis: Available on Disney+, Moving is an action fantasy sci-fi K-drama based on the webtoon by Kang Full. It tells the story of high school students and their parents who harbour extraordinary superpowers, passed down through generations. The plot explores themes of secrecy, legacy, and the consequences of their powers being exposed to the world, all while maintaining high production values and impressive special effects throughout its run.
2. ‘Soundtrack #1’ (4 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘Soundtrack #1’
Cast: Park Hyung-sik and Han So-hee.
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Synopsis: Soundtrack #1 is a romantic K-drama that revolves around two childhood friends of over two decades–Han Seon-woo (Park Hyung-sik), a reserved yet kind rookie photographer, and Lee Eun-soo (Han So-hee), a spirited and honest lyricist. The plot intensifies when they find themselves living together for two weeks, during which romantic feelings begin to surface, testing the boundaries of their friendship.
3. ‘The Silent Sea’ (8 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘The Silent Sea’
Cast: Bae Doona, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon.
Synopsis: Streaming on Netflix, The Silent Sea is a sci-fi space survival K-drama in a dystopian future where Earth is suffering from severe desertification and a critical shortage of water. To save humanity, a team of specialists is sent on a high-stakes mission to the Moon. Their objective is to bring their A-game to retrieve a mysterious sample from an abandoned lunar research base, known as the Balhae Base. As the crew uncovers the secrets of the base, they face moral dilemmas, intense suspense, and the potential for groundbreaking discoveries tied to a substance called “lunar water”, which could solve Earth’s crisis—or doom humanity further
4. ‘Death’s Game’ (8 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘Death’s Game’
Cast: Seo In-guk and Park So-dam.
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Synopsis: Choi Yi-jae (Seo In-guk) is tired of his life and the never-ending problems that come with it. He lost his job, his girlfriend left him, and he lost his life savings in a bitcoin scam. Thinking death is the only option, he takes his own life. However, due to his rude attitude, Death (Park So-dam), punishes him by forcing him to reincarnate multiple times to experience painful deaths repeatedly. Hence the title, Death’s Game.
5. ‘My Name’ (8 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘My Name’
Cast: Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun.
Synopsis: Watch as Han So-hee, previously known for her romantic roles, undergoes an image transformation in My Name. The action-packed gritty revenge thriller centres on Yoon Ji-woo (Han So-hee), a young woman seeking justice after her father’s tragic death. Consumed by a need for vengeance, she aligns herself with a powerful crime syndicate led by drug kingpin Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon). Under his guidance, she goes undercover as a police officer to uncover the truth behind her father’s murder while navigating a complex web of loyalty and betrayal.
6. ‘The Sound of Magic’ (6 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘The Sound of Magic’
Cast: Ji Chang-wook, Choi Sung-eun, Hwang In-youp.
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Synopsis: Based on the Naver webtoon Annarasumanara by Ha Il-kwon, The Sound of Magic tells the story of Yoon Ah-yi (Choi Sung-eun), an impoverished high school student who has stopped believing in magic. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Ri Eul (Ji Chang-wook), a mysterious magician living in an abandoned amusement park, who asks her, “Do you believe in magic?” and inspired her to reconnect with the magic she once believed in as a child.
7. ‘Move to Heaven’ (10 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘Move to Heaven’
Cast: Lee Je-hoon, Tang Jun-sang, Hong Seung-hee.
Synopsis: Netflix’s original series Move to Heaven is a heartfelt K-drama centred around life, death, and family connections. It follows Geu-ru (Tang Jun-sang), a 20-year-old who has Asperger syndrome, who meets his ex-convict uncle Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) for the first time after the sudden death of his father. Bound by his late brother’s will, Sang-gu must live with and work alongside Geu-ru to run the family trauma cleaning business for three months to gain full guardianship and inheritance rights. Despite their differences, the two form an unexpected bond as they navigate grief, uncover hidden truths and build an understanding of each other.
8. ‘Mask Girl’ (7 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘Mask Girl’
Cast: Lee Han-byeol, Nana, Go Hyun-jung, Ahn Jae-hong, and Yeom Hye-ran.
See also: 18 popular K-drama title songs that will give you an earworm–or two
Synopsis: Based on a webtoon by Mae-mi and Hee-se, Mask Girl is a South Korean black comedy crime thriller that follows Kim Mo-mi, an office worker who struggles with deep-seated insecurities about her looks. She finds solace as an anonymous live-streamer called ‘Mask Girl’, hiding her identity behind a mask. She becomes a popular internet personality but the plot thickens when a series of ill-fated events, including crime and murder, drastically alters her life.
9. ‘The Hymn of Death’ (6 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘The Hymn of Death’
Cast: Lee Jong-suk and Shin Hye-sun.
Synopsis: The Hymn of Death is a historical K-drama based on the true story of Joseon’s first soprano Yun Sim-deok (Shin Hye-sun) and the genius playwright, Kim Woo-jin (Lee Jong-suk). Set during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early 20th century, the series chronicles her passionate and doomed relationship with Kim Woo-jin, a married man, as they both grapple with societal and personal pressures. Their love is marked by conflict, societal expectations, and ultimately… tragedy.
10. ‘Extracurricular’ (10 episodes)
Above The trailer for ‘Extracurricular’
Cast: Kim Dong-hee, Park Ju-hyun, Jung Da-bin, Nam Yoon-su, Choi Min-soo, Park Hyuk-kwon, Kim Yeo-jin.
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Synopsis: An intense and gripping story that touches on themes of morality, risk, and the irreversible nature of choices, Extracurricular follows model high school student Ji-soo (Kim Dong-hee) who leads a dangerous double life and is steeped in a world of serious crime to pay for his tuition fees. His life is upended when a classmate takes an interest in his secret and the consequences quickly spiral out of control.
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